Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἐὰν δὲ περικαθίσῃς περὶ πόλιν μίαν ἡμέρας πλείους ἐκπολεμῆσαι αὐτὴν εἰς κατάληψιν αὐτῆς, οὐκ ἐξολεθρεύσεις τὰ δένδρα αὐτῆς, ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπʼ αὐτὰ σίδηρον, ἀλλʼ ἢ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ φαγῇ, αὐτὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐκκόψεις· μὴ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ξύλον τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, εἰσελθεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου σου εἰς τὸν χάρακα;
(Ean de perikathisaʸs peri polin mian haʸmeras pleious ekpolemaʸsai autaʸn eis katalaʸpsin autaʸs, ouk exolethreuseis ta dendra autaʸs, epibalein epʼ auta sidaʸron, allʼ aʸ apʼ autou fagaʸ, auto de ouk ekkopseis; maʸ anthrōpos to xulon to en tōi agrōi, eiselthein apo prosōpou sou eis ton ⱪaraka; )

BrTr And if thou shouldest besiege [fn]a city many days to prevail against it by war to take it, thou shalt not destroy its trees, by applying an iron tool to them, but thou shalt eat of it, and shalt not cut it down: Is the tree that is in the field a man, to enter [fn]before thee into [fn]the work of the siege?

20:19 Gr. one city.

20:19 Gr. against thee.

20:19 Gr. the trench. See Mat. 3. 10.

ULT When you lay siege to a city many days, battling against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against it. For you shall eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man coming from your face to besiege?

UST When you surround a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not cut down the fruit trees outside the city. You are allowed to eat the fruit from the trees, but do not destroy the trees, because they certainly are not your enemies.

BSB When you lay siege to a city for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you can eat their fruit You must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that you should besiege them?

OEB No OEB DEU book available

WEBBE When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET If you besiege a city for a long time while attempting to capture it, you must not chop down its trees, for you may eat fruit from them and should not cut them down. A tree in the field is not human that you should besiege it!

LSV When you lay siege to a city [for] many days to fight against it, to capture it, you do not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for you eat of them, and you do not cut them down—for the tree of the field [is] man’s—to go in at your presence in the siege.

FBV Now when you lay siege to a town and it goes on for a long time as you fight to capture it, don't destroy the fruit trees there. You can eat their fruit. Don't cut them down. Are the trees in the orchard human beings that you should also attack?

T4T “When you surround a city for a long time, trying to capture it, do not cut down the fruit trees outside the city. You are allowed to eat the fruit from the trees, but do not get rid of the trees, because they certainly are not [RHQ] your enemies.

LEB No LEB DEU book available

BBE If in war a town is shut in by your armies for a long time, do not let its trees be cut down and made waste; for their fruit will be your food; are the trees of the countryside men for you to take up arms against them?

Moff No Moff DEU book available

JPS When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?

ASV When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?

DRA When thou hast besieged a city a long time, and hath compassed it with bulwarks to take it, thou shalt not cut down the trees that may be eaten of, neither shalt thou spoil the country round about with axes: for it is a tree, and not a man, neither can it increase the number of them that fight against thee.

YLT 'When thou layest siege unto a city many days, to fight against it, to capture it, thou dost not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for of them thou dost eat, and them thou dost not cut down — for man's [is] the tree of the field — to go in at thy presence in the siege.

Drby When thou shalt besiege a city many days, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by lifting up an axe against them; for thou canst eat of them; and thou shalt not cut them down, for is the tree of the field a man that it should be besieged?

RV When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?
(When thou/you shalt/shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou/you shalt/shall not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou/you mayest/may eat of them, and thou/you shalt/shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee/you? )

SLT When thou shalt besiege against a city many days to war against it, to capture it, thou shalt not destroy its wood to thrust an axe upon it; for from it thou shalt eat: and thou shalt not cut it down; for the man the tree of the field, to go from before thee into the fortress.

Wbstr When thou shalt besiege a city a long time in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees of it by forcing an ax against them; for thou mayest eat of them: and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life ) to employ them in the siege:

KJB-1769 ¶ When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege:[fn][fn]
(¶ When thou/you shalt/shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou/you shalt/shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou/you mayest/may eat of them, and thou/you shalt/shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege: )

20.19 for the…: or, for, O man, the tree of the field is to be employed in the siege

20.19 to employ…: Heb. to go from before thee

KJB-1611 ¶ When thou shalt besiege a citie a long time, in making warre against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof, by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eate of them, and thou shalt not cut them downe ( [fn]for the tree of the field is mans life) [fn]to employ them in the siege.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

20:19 Or, for, O man the tree of the field is to be employed in the siege.

20:19 Heb. to goe from before thee.

Bshps No Bshps DEU book available

Gnva When thou hast besieged a citie long time, and made warre against it to take it, destroy not the trees therof, by smiting an axe into them: for thou mayest eate of them: therfore thou shalt not cut them downe to further thee in the siege, (for the tree of the field is mans life)
(When thou/you hast besieged a city long time, and made war against it to take it, destroy not the trees thereof, by smiting an axe into them: for thou/you mayest/may eat of them: therefore thou/you shalt/shall not cut them down to further thee/you in the siege, (for the tree of the field is mans life) )

Cvdl No Cvdl DEU book available

Wycl No Wycl DEU book available

Luth No Luth DEU book available

ClVg Quando obsederis civitatem multo tempore, et munitionibus circumdederis ut expugnes eam, non succides arbores, de quibus vesci potest, nec securibus per circuitum debes vastare regionem: quoniam lignum est, et non homo, nec potest bellantium contra te augere numerum.
(When obsederis the_city much at_the_time, and munitionibus circumdederis as expugnes her, not/no succides trees, from/about to_whom vesci can, but_not axes through surroundings debes vesseltare country: since/because wood/timber it_is, and not/no human, but_not can warsntium on_the_contrary you(sg) augere the_number. )

RP-GNT No RP-GNT DEU book available

UTN uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel.

(Occurrence 0) wage war

(Some words not found in UHB: that/for/because/then/when besiege to/towards (a)_city days long to,fighting on/upon=it(f) in_order_to,capture,it not destroy DOM trees_of,its by,wielding on/upon/above=him/it ax that/for/because/then/when from=him/it eat and,DOM,them not cut_~_down that/for/because/then/when the=humankind tree/message the=field that,come by,before_of,you in/on/at/with,siege )

Alternate translation: [fight in a war]

(Occurrence 0) by wielding an ax against them

Alternate translation: [by cutting down the trees with an ax]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

(Occurrence 0) For is the tree of the field a man whom you should besiege?

This rhetorical question is to remind the people of what they should already know. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: [For fruit trees are not people, so they are not your enemy.]

Parallel DEU 20:19

General Information: